The body of a United States Army officer who disappeared during military drills in Morocco has been recovered from the Atlantic Ocean, while efforts continue to locate a second missing soldier, military authorities confirmed.
U.S. Army Europe and Africa announced Sunday that the remains of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, from Richmond, Virginia, were found on Saturday. Key, a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer, was among two American soldiers believed to have fallen from a cliff during an off-duty hiking trip near the Cap Draa Training Area on May 2.
According to the Army, a Moroccan military search team discovered Key’s body in waters along the shoreline at approximately 8:55 a.m. local time Saturday. Officials said the location was about one mile from where the two soldiers reportedly entered the ocean.
“Today, we mourn the loss of 1st Lt. Kendrick Key, whose remains were recovered in Morocco,” Brig. Gen Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said in a statement. “Our hearts are with his Family, friends, teammates, and all who knew and served alongside him. The 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command Family is grieving, and we will continue to support one another and 1st Lt. Key’s Family as we honor his life and service.”
The two soldiers were declared missing on May 2 after taking part in African Lion, a multinational military exercise conducted annually across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal.
Moroccan military officials said the soldiers disappeared around 9 p.m. near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, an area known for its mountainous terrain, desert landscape and semi-desert plains.
Their disappearance prompted a large-scale search-and-rescue operation involving more than 600 personnel from the United States, Morocco and allied military forces. The operation included the use of ships, helicopters and drones.
Military authorities stated that search operations remain ongoing for the second missing soldier.
Although the African Lion military exercise officially concluded on Friday, a U.S. military contingent remains in Morocco to oversee command operations and assist with the continuing rescue mission.
The Army said Key was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, under the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.
His military honors include the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Key joined the military in 2023 as an officer candidate and earned his commission through Officer Candidate School the following year as an Air Defense Artillery officer. He later completed the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
He is survived by his parents, sister and brother-in-law.
African Lion 26, led by the United States, began in April and involved more than 5,600 civilian and military personnel from over 40 countries across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal.
The exercise has been recognized for more than two decades as the largest joint U.S. military exercise held on the African continent.
In 2012, two U.S. Marines lost their lives and two others sustained injuries after an MV-22 Osprey aircraft crashed near Cap Draa during Exercise African Lion.
